Higher hba1c

#22

The reason I worry about high BG is because of the damage it can cause. Too much glucose can damage your body. Diabetics have to worry about eye damage neuropathy, poor circulation leading even to amputations. It can also lead to atherosclerosis and possibly dementia.

I have looked for, but not found, research that says only peaks of glucose can cause that. I’ve seen this claim from doctors and youtubers who make money out of the diets they claim are good. To me, it makes no sense. If the problem is too much glucose in the blood stream, then it doesn’t matter if it is high because of a peak, or if it comes from my liver, or my food. The end result is that it is in my blood, going places and causing damage.

Many people defending agendas will say, “oh, what I tell you to do, what I’ve built my business on selling supplements, ads, causes high BG. Then I’ll start saying that it isn’t the high BG per se that’s bad, but it’s only bad if it was in your food, or if it was a postprandial peak.”

Even if they genuinely think so, it is what they ‘think’. They can ‘think’ lots of things. It doesn’t make it true.

So, until there’s some kind of science explaining that my body can make the difference between glucose of this or that origin, I want to keep an eye on it and work to keep it low.

Why <100? Since I was a child, this was the threshold for people considered normal. I don’t care if postprandial goes up to 120, 130. But my fasting, I want it below 100.

I’ve been reading a lot about it and fasting blood glucose is a good predictor of diabetes around the corner.

#23

Basically, I’ve cut saturated fat.

I had already cut most carbs.

My food was protein and fat.

I tried carnivore, thinking it was the little carbs I was still eating. Surprisingly, my FBG (fasting blood glucose) crept up, instead of down. The fat had to be the cause of my FBG problems. I started to cut it.

It’s a complicated balance, because if you limit your carbs, there’s only fat and protein left. I’m afraid to splurge on protein and damage my liver. What’s left?

Therefore, I’ve cut the saturated fat, but can’t cut too much of it, because I need to eat something.

It’s a work in progress. At the moment, it seems to be working and now I get mostly FBG below 100.

#24

How many postmenopausal women do you think have 13% body fat? Even men. What would you guess is the percentage of men in the general population, or even in this forum with 13% body fat? The question is rhetoric.

BMI may be a worthless number for many, but it works for me.

#25

I would hope none because in any case that would be an extremely unhealthy BF% for any woman.

No it’s not “rhetoric” you’re just ignorant. I love how you’re so obsessed with how many others are/aren’t at my bodyfat percentage, why you think that’s relevant to the argument that you wrongly think you have in the first place is amusing though.

Pay attention know it all, the overwhelming amount of people that have their BMI’s used against them are the overweight and obese people. People who are near “normal” weight ranges aren’t concerned with their BMI’s and neither are their docs.

The bigger you are, the more you have to move around. The higher your TDEE is, and the more physical muscle it takes to not only support it, but to move it around on top if that. Do you have any clue how much muscle clinically overweight people and especially obese people have on their body?

The people that are targeted with their BMI are the people it’s most inaccurate with, it’s not debatable. BMI is a lazy way for clinicians to not take measurement to tell somebody they’re fat.

That’s great that YOU are the oddball it works for, hardly a reason to defend a lazy method that fails the majority that it’s applied to.

Out of curiosity, what is your BMI and what’s your actually BF% that you got from your last DEXA, Caliper measurement, or Displacement measurement? I’d love to see it’s accuracy in play, because I’ve yet to ever see that happen before except for people who are skin stretched over bone.

(Michael) #26

I think there could be some merit to trying to maintain FBS under 100. Paul Mason believes that a higher but less variable blood glucose is better than a lower higher variability blood glucose. I heard him say this as well, BUT, he has also noted that (in his opinion, which @PaulL is referencing, so let’s not pick and choose quotes as it fits one narrative) a higher FBS is related to glycated LDL and, in his opinion, greater risk of CVD. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUY_SDhxf4k . I am currently running a test now to see if the relationship between sd-LDL and FBS holds for me (test ending in December). I can find similar videos noting the idea that a1c exponentially increases in glycation which therefore exponentially increases damage as FBS rises above 4.5. At what point is this a REAL concern…well I do not think anyone knows the exact rate of healing versus damage from glycation. But dismissing it as irrelevant is not supported by the science at this point either.

(Joey) #27

Thanks for the additional info. I’ve never done a deep dive on this but was under the impression that protein is more likely to elevate serum glucose in a carb-restricted context than (saturated) fat.

To your point, there’s only so much protein one can tolerate/enjoy … and without carbs (wisely), that leaves fat.

I wouldn’t be surprised if it were possible to reduce serum glucose somewhat by watching your protein intake. But regardless, my view is that - without dietary carbs - whatever one’s serum glucose turns out to be is more likely a healthy natural level than a problem to be solved.

It’d be akin to trying to reduce cholesterol in an otherwise healthy individual.

:vulcan_salute:

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #28

There’s a recent interview that Kelly Hogan did with Amber O’Hearn, in which Amber speculates that the rise in serum glucose is actually from a lack of fat and can be cured by eating more fat, so that the body doesn’t need to make glucose to feed the brain. Benjamin Bikman believes that to be true, as well.

(Joey) #29

@Corals :point_up: This might be worth exploring

(Megan) #30

Hi Corals. Try cutting protein, not saturated/animal fat. Getting more than the necessary amount of protein increases blood glucose in some people.

(Mark Rhodes) #31

https://stories.uh.edu/2022-soleus-pushup/index.html Interesting recent discovery.

(Mark Rhodes) #32

Have you tried upping mono saturated? My wife was on carnivore for her fibromyalgia needs but just could not get enough fat in.She went back to a Mediterranean keto high in olive oil. She feels much better now. Her BG is about 79 mg/dl and BHB is avg 1.5 mmol.

(Mark Rhodes) #33

For anyone who is interested this calculator is a pretty good tool. This will list where you are in comparison with the rest of the population. At 58 and coming in at 16.4% DXA I am in the top 3% >.

#34

NOW THIS IS carnivore chat but many Keto Plan eaters come into way heavier meat/fat protein loads so should have insight to you. Just listen and see if it ‘suits to your questions’ maybe??

(Joey) #35

Seems like a bizarre discovery. But intriguing, nonetheless.
Thanks for the link.

(Joey) #36

@Fangs Another excellent Bikman clip - thanks.

#37

I’m happy for her! Thank you for sharing. Indeed, my best result till now is with a kinda Mediterranean diet. I say kinda, because I’m still avoiding carbs as much as possible. So, it seems I’m like your wife.

I find it difficult to keep the balance of low enough carbs to keep postprandial low AND less sat fat. Eating has become so complicated. But I’ve been keeping the fasting blood glucose below 100 for sometime, so, it seems it works for me. With each tweak I do, I get less and less days of FBG above 100 and when they’re high, it’s below 105 now.

Many have suggested to cut proteins. I’ve cut proteins already some time ago, because of a false positive for kidney disease. I was so scared, I started a kidney friendly-ish diet. It was a false positive.

I don’t eat too many proteins for the volume of exercise I maintain. If anything, I’m at a deficit. With the change in diet, I’ve found my energy back and I’m back at running 10k 3 times a week, plus all the walking, cycling and swimming. I need proteins.

(Mark Rhodes) #38

God yes. Up those proteins. I lift at least 8 hours a week, heavy weights. I bike, paddle and x-cty ski in season. I am 58, 17% BF (with DXA) and 228 pounds. I try to eat 2G of fat to every gram of Protein to be 83% of calories from fat, but I find although that makes my numbers better, I don’t feel as well on that. So I eat 74% of my calories as fat and most of the rest as protein most days. I feel awesome eating this way.

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My BG is higher and my A1C (5.7%) is as well but I and all my doctors all agree I am not pre-diabetic no matter what the standard is. We are actually beginning to see many people who have higher A1C but lead active lifestyles while on Keto or Carnivore. My fasted insulin remains 1-3 uIU/ml, my “Bikman” profile is under 1. In this regard then I am willing to run higher blood sugars because for whatever reason my body has determined this is optimal.